Gifts
by Tequoia
Summary: Every birthday of his, Naruto took solace in the gifts he received from his secretive friend. For years he wondered who they were and wished to meet them but happily for Naruto, after his training trip he encounters his mysterious lavender-eyed admirer.


'_I know that the world is cruel, and that some people don't understand. I know and I am sorry… But please, know that even if everyone doesn't seem to care, I care about you. Thank you, for being you' - A Friend. _

A now six year-old Naruto whimpers slightly, looking down at the little present and note. It was his birthday, October 10th, and not a single person was there to wish him well.

Surprise took him when one of the orphanage staff told him that he had mail addressed to him. He was entirely taken with emotion, seeing that it was wrapped with small decorations, not unlike those that other kids would occasionally receive. A strange type of excitement grew within him upon seeing the gift. Excitedly, he immediately opened it, instincts spurred on from when he saw how other kids have opened their own gifts. Pause took him when just as he was about to open it, as he read the tag that was attached to the decorated box.

'_A friend?'_ Naruto wondered, and wondered again as he slowly fell down onto his simple bed as he held the gift in his hands.

A smile grew on his face as he thought about it, he had a friend, someone who evidently cared about him.

With much more caution than before, he began unwrapping the gift with incredible excitement. It came apart to reveal a fancy pair of chopsticks, made out of some type of metal of great quality with an equally extravagant case to hold them in. Blue swirls adorned the utensils he noticed as he inspected them. Somehow this friend knew of his undying love of Ramen. However, he thought little of who this friend could be, suspended in disbelief that he even _received_ a gift. That night, as silly as an outsider may have thought it to be, he slept contently, clutching the present tightly to his heart.

N x H

He was infinitely curious who this friend of his was, and it did not help that yet again, on his eleventh birthday, the note attached to this new gift held no clues as to the identity of his mysterious benefactor. Looking to the gift placed in front of his door after a quick series of knocking, he picked it up slowly, smiling happily. He had missed his visitor, his… secret admirer, that she herself declared that she was. It felt strange to him, thinking that he had a secret admirer, but it made him happy, like the gifts he received from her. Picking it up and running into his room, he looked at the gift, another elegantly wrapped and decorated box. He looked at the note, giving it his full attention as he plucked it from the gift and it unfolded to reveal a large piece of paper.

'_Naruto… As I write this, I am having a hard time figuring out my own emotions… I am sorry that I haven't… Told you who I am. I am very shy and… timid. A problem. I know that these gifts make you happy, and it makes me happy to know that. You deserve a happy birthday every year. Please know that… you are loved. That I… I think about you, everyday. I wonder if it is healthy. I love you Naruto. You are loved. I love you, so very much…'_

It was at this point, tears came to Naruto's eyes, and he clutched the note to his heart before willing to finish reading the note.

'_I wish I could talk to you, and be with you… If there was one person whom I could spend the last day on Earth with, please know that it would be you. I know that you are working so very hard at graduating from the Ninja Academy. I believe in you, and I know that you can do it. You want to be Hokage… And I know you can do that too, and I will always be cheering you on._

_Thank you, Naruto._

_-Your Secret Admirer'_

Choking up a little bit, with his hands shaking, he gently put the letter away and proceeded to open the gift. Inside was a red colored scarf. Delicately woven and beautiful. He smiled, the tears falling from his face slowing slightly as he picked it up, and again fell asleep with it as he wondered about his friend.

N x H

"They hated you for just being alive!" Mizuki screamed.

As Naruto laid there, broken and beaten, hearing Mizuki tell him about the demon, of which he apparently was, he thoughts drifted to those of his admirer, and he wondered if she would still love him, and he realized that even if he had that one person who truly loved him, that it didn't matter in the end.

Iruka was there to save him, though, and Naruto was reminded that people do care, and resolved to stay strong for them, and his admirer.

N x H

'_I'm so proud of you Naruto! You graduated, and congratulations! You're going to be a real Ninja!'_ Hinata wrote, thinking of what else to say to the blonde she was hopelessly in love with. Contemplating what she overheard her father discussing, she continued writing. '_I know, Naruto, about… the demon… And I just want you to know that I still love you. Nothing has changed. You're still incredible and you're even more so a hero for it. Thank you so much for everything.'_

Smiling, she decided to run to her fantasy's door, and deliver the letter despite it not being his birthday. In her mind, his graduation was an incredible event and warranted communication despite her struggling to do so.

N x H

'_Hi, I'm not really sure what to say, but I have wanted to talk with you for so long? Isn't that funny? Hah, I don't know. I hope you get this letter and no one takes it away. I just wanted to let you know that I will be training with my sensei Jiraiya for the next three years outside the village. I still can't believe he chose me, but he says he sees something in me, which I guess is nice. I'm sorry but I just… I wished that I could've met you in real life. I've spent so many years wondering about you, who you are, how you could love me. You know that I think about you all of the time right? You were the first person to really acknowledge me. Before I had friends or anything. You told me that if the world was going to end, you'd want to be with me? That's… funny… because I felt the same way. I would want to be with you too._

_Secret Admirer… when I come back from training, I want to see you. Is that okay? I've just… spent so long thinking about it, about you. I really want to see you. It's funny. When I think about you, I get this funny feeling in my chest. Iruka says it's a crush, that I… like you? Whatever that means. He also says that whoever you are, that you are really shy and reserved. That's okay, really! I'm sure that whoever you are, I would like you too. Please, please please please can I see you when I get back? I'm planning on maybe going to this fancy restaurant with a lot of my friends, it's called The Yakiniku Q. Choji was telling about it. It will be a week after I get back to the village. Can I please see you there? It would mean the world to me to finally see you…_

_PS. I hope you like your gift! Jiraiya helped me make it._

_\- Naruto'_

Hinata trembled roughly, reading the letter in front of Naruto's door. Tears streaming down her face as she read rough handwriting. She opened the box to see a beautiful necklace, made of pure silver with a heart shaped pendant. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was engraved on the backside with the words, "For my Admirer." She knew then as she looked upon the necklace that she had to commit to her beloved's request. She crumpled the note she wrote previously and quickly wrote another in response to him.

'_I will see you there Naruto, I promise. If it will make you happy I… I'll do this for you. Yes I am shy and reserved and it's why I haven't seen you yet but… I promise that I will for you, I love you. Please stay safe! I… I can't live… in a world without you. I'm so sorry… The necklace is beyond beautiful and I will treasure it for the rest of my time in this life. I hope you don't hate me when I'm there… I'm so scared that you won't like me, or that you'll be surprised… But I can-'_

Hinata looked up suddenly, hearing footsteps and realizing that Naruto was about to open the door. She immediately dropped her gift and the letter she was writing and ran, unable to confront him immediately.

Naruto chose not to give chase, even though he wanted to so badly. He didn't want to scare or worry her more than he probably did with what he wrote. Looking down, he saw a hastily written letter, lacking some it's usual elegance. Picking up the gift and the note, he went back inside to read it. A smile reached his face as he read it, and he laid down on his bed thinking about her. He thought back to all of the letters and gifts he got, how she told him that she was a girl, her struggles with her family, how she turned to him for inspiration. All of it. He couldn't wait to train, yeah, but he _really _wanted to see her. Getting up, he also decided to open the gift finally. Opening it, he saw various scrolls, some for food, ninja tools, and other neat goodies. He smiled thinking of how thoughtful this person was about everything in his life. At the bottom of the box, he saw a small bracelet, made of a type of durable cloth and emblazoned with the Uzumaki clan symbol. '_Wow…'_ he thought, holding it delicately in his hand. Putting it on, he resolved himself to stay strong and return to her.

N x H

Naruto was back in the village, and it was the weekend with all of his friends having no missions and they were all on their way to the restaurant.

"Hey Choji, what's so cool about this place anyways?" Kiba asked, his hands behind his head with Akamaru at his side. Choji's face brightened up considerably as he began going off about the restaurant. Naruto laughed, recalling Choji's antics. Everyone was conversing and having a good time. Everyone, seemingly except Hinata. She was fidgeting with her fingers as they all walked as a group. Moving her hands apart, she placed one on her chest, feeling the heart shaped necklace that Naruto gave her all those years ago.

'_Come on Hinata! You rehearsed this over and over…'_

"Hinata, is something bothering you?" a voice broke her from her concentration. She tilted her head to see Shino looking at her quizzically. Her teammate always had the same expression, she noted.

"Y-yes! I'm okay…" she lied. Her anxiety was through the roof and her worry was eating her alive, and it was probably obvious to her teammate either way.

"Okay." He said simply. Hinata was eternally thankful that the subject was dropped then. After a while of listening to Choji ramble on about the restaurant, Ino and Sakura discussing fashion, and Shikamaru comment about how much of a drag the whole event was turning out to be, they arrived. Quickly taking their seats, they were asked about what drinks they would like.

"Water, please." Shikamaru stated plainly. Going through the members, some choosing sugary drinks, some alcoholic, Hinata finally answered.

"I-I'll have some sake please." she answered, drawing the attention of her teammate Kiba.

"Feeling adventurous today huh?" Kiba laughed, finding it amusing his usually reserved teammate would order something alcoholic. Shino even raised an eyebrow, not that anyone noticed.

"You could say that…" she said quietly. Internally she was rattling. The heiress figured it would help calm her nerves, and help her in confessing to the boy sitting at the middle of the giant table.

"This is awesome!" Naruto practically shouted with enthusiasm, looking at how the chefs started preparing the food. Choji agreed. Time went on, and everyone was eating and being merry. No one seemed to notice though as Hinata at downed her fourth glass of Sake. Liquid courage was running strongly within her as she started having thoughts about Naruto and walking up to him and bearing her heart out to him and telling him that she was so sorry she didn't talk to him sooner.

Naruto sighed, immediately drawing the attention of Hinata who was keen on being aware of him. Sakura, who was sitting next to Naruto, asked what was wrong and Naruto replied, "You know that, erm, secret admirer person I told you about? She isn't here yet…" Naruto said with a depressing tone, causing Hinata to frown sadly. Looking on as he spoke to Sakura, Hinata clenched her necklace, and with as much courage as she could muster, she got up from her seat and immediately moved to sit to the other side, next to him.

"N-Naruto?" the heiress stuttered, her nervousness eating away at her as she held one hand to the necklace inside of her jacket for support. Her blush deepened, looking down at the blonde's bracelet.

Turning his head toward the soft voice to his left, he smiled before acknowledging the girl's presence. "Hey Hinata! Thanks for coming today!" he told her happily, before noticing the girl's typical, if still shy demeanor. "Oh, is something up?" he tilted his head as he stared quizzically at the blue haired girl.

Sakura's eyes widened, her previous suspicions seemingly being proved reality before smiling and scooting closer to Ino and the rest of the partygoers, giving her teammate some space.

Hinata's heart was pounding so loudly in her chest that it was all that she could feel. Her mouth opened but no sound came out, before she looked down suddenly, causing Naruto to become slightly worried in response. "Hinata…?" he asked slowly, worry piercing the air between them as the chattering of the rest of the group chirped within the air.

"I s-s-s-said… I was s-shy…" she said quietly. Noticing Naruto look at her with a questioned gaze, she sighed and slightly unzipped her jacket. Pulling the very same necklace that he had given to his admirer, Naruto, audibly gasped. Panic filled Hinata, thinking she did something wrong. "I-I'm sorry!" she said, frightened. "I-I know that I'm not what-"

Before she could finish, a pair of strong arms were encircled around her, gripping onto her for seemingly dear life. "N-Naruto?!" she quipped. Her brain could barely function what was happening around her.

Shikamaru caught on to what was happening. '_So she finally spilled the beans then? How troublesome.'_ He whispered to the rest of the group that they should probably pack up, pointing to the practically cuddling couple at the far side of the table. "Hey Naruto, we're all going to start heading out now." he said with his signature lazy drawl.

"Yeah, see ya guys later and welcome back Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed before walking off with a silent Shino.

Turning his head as Hinata struggled to stay conscious, Naruto blinked and processed what was happening. "Oh see you later guys!" he said, still holding the bluenette in his arms. He heard giggling as Tenten and Ino sauntered off.

As she walked off with the other girls, Sakura turned around quickly and then said, "Good luck Naruto, Hinata!"

Everyone else had said their goodbyes and so the two were left alone, though Naruto was very curious as to why they all had left so quickly and suddenly. Shaking his head he had turned back to face the girl in his arms and his heart swelled. This was the girl who had been his best friend for this whole of 10 years, and she was the cute and shy Hinata the whole time! Elation flowed through him and he thought about all of their previous interactions, and it began to make sense to him. She certainly fit the shy description.

"Hinata…" he said, full of spirit. The heiress slowly turned her head upwards, to match his gaze, her blush ever present. She was certain the alcohol was the sole thing that was keeping her from feinting in this very moment.

She wasn't sure what to do, so she tried to force a small, awkward smile as she was held in the grip of the person she admired most. "Y-yes, Naruto...?" she asked. Looking away guiltily, she apologized softly, "I'm sorry that I never… t-told you…"

His mind was working overtime to figure out what to say to the girl in front of him. Jiraiya had told him that whenever he found this admirer, to cherish them and romance them, as they definitely be one of his most if not his most precious person.

'_Remember, from what you've told me about this secret admirer of yours, when you finally meet them, don't let them go okay?' the Toad Sage said, laughing, before taking on a more serious expression. 'If you do let them go, all I can say is that you'll regret it. You don't want to regret something like this, not the way I do kid.'_

"It's okay!" he blurted, awkwardly, much to the shock of the girl in his arms. Seeing her surprise, he continued. "I just mean- umm," he stopped, a hand now scratching his head. "I don't… want to mess this up, I mean…" he said, seriously. Seeing that Hinata's eyes were wide with awe, he took that as a cue to continue on. "I'm just very happy to see you… Hinata…" he said breathlessly, as a hand found it's way to the necklace she was wearing. "It was you, all of these years it was you?" he asked, almost more to himself than to her.

Seeing her look down shyly, and nod her head, he took it as the final confirmation.

"W-wow" he stuttered uncharacteristically, and finally released the girl from the tight grip he had held her in, to her disappointment. "I… I've waited… a long time to see you…" he said to her quietly, not exactly sure of what to say in this moment. "Can I… Can I hold your hand?" he pleaded to her, he body shaking in the nervousness of the moment. "If that's okay," he added.

She looked up at him again, with a small smile. "Y-yes… That'd be incredible… Naruto…" she sighed happily. '_I can't believe that this is happening like this…'_ Hinata looked down at the strong hand in her own and a tear started to fall down her cheek. Noticing, she wiped it away immediately.

"Hinata, would you mind if we went out on a walk?" he asked her, smiling.

She gazed at him and a familiar heat built up on her cheeks before she replied, "Y-yes, I'd like that." Standing up, she noticed that Naruto hadn't let her hand go, and that he was smiling rather happily. She tried to breathe steadily as they exited the restaurant. She couldn't believe it when she had looked again at their conjoined hands. '_We're holding hands… this is so… romantic… It's almost like we're a couple.'_ she thought, her cheeks darkening even more.

"Hinata, are you okay?" he broke the comfortable silence. "You're very red." he let go of her hand to look more closely at her face, much to her disappointment.

"Y-yes, I just…" she started, further words escaping her.

Naruto frowned, a sad expression painting his features. "Look, Hinata if… You don't want to…"

Panic immediately rose inside of her. "No!" she almost shouted, surprising the blonde. She had noticed his eyes were wide open, looking on at her in confusion. "I just…" she gulped. "I'm just s-so surprised this is all happening…" she looked down for a moment, and then back at him. "B-but I'm very happy it is."

A shy smile reached her crush's face. "Oh." he smiled wider. "I'm happy too, wanna keep walking?"

She nodded excitedly.

A couple minutes went by as they walked together, though much to Hinata's dismay, this time not hand-in-hand.

Naruto stopped for a moment and put a hand on his chin, before turning to Hinata and asking her, "Hey, can I show you somewhere really cool? I haven't been there since I came back to the village and I'd like to share it with you." he asked, his attempt at being courteous not escaping her. Smiling again at the fact that he was being so respectful, she nodded shyly.

In the next ten minutes they had found themselves atop the Hokage monument, specifically atop the Fourth Hokage's head. Naruto would routinely visit here, to escape in a way. He chuckled softly, seeing Hinata's amazement at the fantastic view. He agreed, the way it overlooked the village was truly spectacular. Not quite matching however, he realized, the expression Hinata wore whenever she looked at him, as well as the way she made him feel in his chest. As he remembered what Kakashi, Iruka, as well as Jiraiya had taught him regarding these manners of the heart, he gulped. '_I'm such an idiot… If only someone told me earlier.'_ he thought, thinking of all of the ways he remembered Hinata and how she acted, it was truly obvious she held a significant crush on him, one that he wasn't sure was warranted. Regardless, he sat down and gestured for her to do the same.

"It's so beautiful…" she said, looking toward the village.

He smiled again, happy to impress her. "Yeah… it really is. I used to come up here all the time. It helped me clear my head." he told her, scratching his head. "Hey, Hinata?"

Blushing again, she looked over to him, acknowledging him, as he realized she had always done. "Y-yes, Naruto?"

He gulped once again.

"I feel like I know you, but I don't really know you, is that weird?" he laughed. "Definitely weird."

Hinata tensed, worried if Naruto had second thoughts of all this.

"You… You gave me all those gifts, those letters, throughout the years…" he asked slowly, emotion coming think in his voice. "W-why?" his voice cracked slightly. He put his hand over hers once again, making her gasp slightly.

Hinata's expression turned to one of worry, feeling ashamed of how she had handled the gifts, and her inability to ever confront him earlier in life. Now though, she willed, she would do her best, he deserved that at least, it's what he had asked of her in his own letter so long ago.

"I…" she paused again, trying to find the right words to explain herself. She saw the anticipation in his blue eyes and she grew worried again she would disappoint him. This may very well be the most difficult thing she had ever done, truly confess to him, to his face. She wasn't ready but she would have to do it anyways, for him. She tightened her hand against his and prepared herself for what very well would be the most difficult thing she thinks she would ever do.

"I love you, Naruto…" she spoke softly. "I loved you for so long and… I a-admire you…" she felt a wetness come to her eyes and she felt her courage slipping away, but pressed forward. The look of shock in her love's expression telling her what must be done. "A-a-and if I stop talking right now I fear that I won't finish." she said again. "I don't know if you remember b-but… A long time ago now, you rescued me from a group of bullies, and you were so selfless. You protected me, someone you didn't even know, and ever since then I admired you so much it hurts." she continued, looking toward the village again as an uncharacteristic strength came about her. "I've always been a failure, never meeting my clan's expectations, but you showed me that it didn't matter. That if I try my best that… that is okay…" she brought her other hand to her cheek and wiped away the tears that had begun to fall as Naruto sat there, looking as if he was about to cry himself. "I started watching you, trying to catch up to you but I was so shy… So I started to give you those gifts." she said while clutching her necklace. "I felt that I had to show you that… that you were important to someone. A-and… overtime… those feelings grew i-i-into l-love…" she whimpered at the end. Tears were free falling at this point and she had begun sobbing. "A-and I would understand if you h-hate me because I'm so shy and such a f-failure and I never tried t-to s-see-" she gasped as she felt warm arms close around her once again, with a hand coming up to clutch her head to his chest.

"I could never hate you, Hinata." he told her genuinely. "I've… never been told that I'm loved before and I'm kinda surprised and…" he pulled back slowly to look at her face, with her beautiful white eyes that glistened in the sunlight with her tears and it broke his heart to see her cry so much. "Please don't cry Hinata, I don't hate you…"

Thinking to how he had just said that no one had ever told him that he was loved she grew instantly upset. "You deserve love, everyone does and you do… most of all…" she said angrily before becoming mortified at how she must look, upset for his sake but with eyes full of tears. "I'm s-sorry Naruto… I just… I'm being silly and I understand if you don't… love me back and-"

He put a hand to her mouth, remembering what Jirayia had told him.

'_If she's as shy as you say she is, you gotta be the one to make the move, and see how she reacts." he told him, laughing as Naruto absorbed the relationship advice more so than anything else he tried to teach._

He smiled, looking at the girl with a heart so full of love for him that it made him melt slightly, and he resolved to clarify everything for her. "Hinata, I don't really understand this whole love thing but…" he started. "I would like to learn…" he said to her, using one hand to rub the tears from her eyes as she gaped at him incredulously. "With you… I'd like you to teach me if that's okay, what this feeling in my chest is… My pervy sage already said that it's obvious though that I'm…"

Hinata's face turned white and all of her tears stopped falling instantly, shock filling her core as to what Naruto is implying. "W-what, N-Naruto?!"

"I think I already love you, Hinata." he told her happily.

Hinata's eyes widened to be the size of saucers and she gasped, before her tears came back in full force and she clutched at him for dear life.

"H-Hinata?! Are you okay?!" he asked, worried as he put his arms comfortingly around her once again.

She smiled into his chest so bright and happily. "Y-yes! I'm just… I'm so happy that I can't stop crying!" she told him genuinely. "I love you I love you I love you I love you!" she said to him over and over as she stained his coat with her happy tears.

His chest swelled as he held the girl who, really, was always there for him and he never knew it. He pulled a soft red scarf from his jacket and pulled away slightly, to Hinata's dismay. Her eyes widened as she saw the scarf, remembering that it was one of her gifts to him a long time ago.

"Here." he said, softly wiping away her tears with the scarf, laughing slightly.

Then they sat there for a couple minutes in comfortable silence, before Hinata broke the silence.

"This is the happiest day of my life…" she said, her head in his chest as they held each other tightly.

Grinning widely, he spoke again, "Lets have lots of happy days Hinata, you and me!" he said to her exuberantly, before pulling away. "Hey, Hinata… I had another question…" he started slowly.

Hinata's eyes were wide with curiosity, nodding slightly.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

An intense blush immediately graced her cheeks as she yipped, before nodding very quickly and nearly shouting, "Yes!"

He smiled and then hugged her again, what a wonderful day he thought. Recalling the advice he'd been given once again, he went in for the final stage he knew he had to cross.

"Is it okay if I kiss you, too?" he asked her, holding his gaze to hers.

This time, her old antics came crawling back, and shyness consumed her. However before the inevitable end, she nodded once again, and then, in a seemingly perfect synchronicity, with the sun setting in front of them, Naruto leaned his lips in as did Hinata.

'_My first kiss…'_ she thought as she felt warm lips meet her own in perfect harmony. '_This is truly the best day of my life… So happy…'_ she thought once again.

Naruto was just the same, but also amazed at how wonderful it all felt, being so close to another human felt truly divine.

Much to Hinata's disappointment, he pulled away and then hugged her once again, laughing slightly.

For Hinata however, there was no more her mind could handle as it sputtered out, fainting in his arms as it all become too much for her, the events overwhelming her.

"H-Hinata?!"

fin


End file.
